Web Application Penetration Testing
Web applications are the front door to your business — customer data, financial transactions, intellectual property. We test them the way a real attacker would: manually, methodically, and with intent to break in.
What Is Web Application Penetration Testing?
Web application penetration testing is the process of simulating cyberattacks against a web application to identify security vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Unlike automated scanning, which produces high volumes of unverified findings, manual penetration testing replicates the techniques and thought process of a real attacker — chaining weaknesses, abusing business logic, and finding the flaws that no scanner can detect.
Every engagement is conducted by CREST-certified consultants. We test against OWASP Top 10 and real-world attack methodologies derived from active threat intelligence.
Scope of a Web Application Pentest
What gets tested — and why each layer matters.
Front-End
DOM-based cross-site scripting (XSS), client-side injection, DOM manipulation, insecure JavaScript dependencies, postMessage vulnerabilities, and sensitive data exposure in browser storage.
Back-End
SQL injection, server-side request forgery (SSRF), server-side template injection (SSTI), file upload abuse, deserialization flaws, command injection, and insecure session management.
Hosting Infrastructure
Web server misconfigurations, exposed admin panels, default credentials, TLS weaknesses, missing security headers, and information disclosure through error messages or metadata endpoints.
Business Logic
Workflow bypass, price manipulation, privilege escalation through parameter tampering, race conditions, and abuse of application-specific functionality that automated tools cannot detect.
Authentication & Sessions
Credential stuffing potential, brute force protection gaps, JWT weaknesses, session fixation, cookie attribute misconfigurations, multi-factor authentication bypass, and OAuth misconfigurations.
Access Control
Broken object-level authorisation (BOLA), IDOR, path traversal, forced browsing, privilege escalation through role manipulation, and tenant isolation failures in multi-tenant applications.
We test SaaS platforms, e-commerce sites, customer portals, internal web applications, content management systems, and web APIs. If it runs in a browser or serves HTTP traffic, it's in scope.
Testing Approaches
Three perspectives. Each simulates a different threat.
Black Box
No credentials, no source code, no prior information. The tester approaches the application exactly as an external attacker would — discovering endpoints, mapping functionality, and finding entry points from scratch.
Best for: Internet-facing applications where you want to measure real-world exposure.
Grey Box
Authenticated access with one or more user roles. The tester can explore application functionality behind the login, test role boundaries, and evaluate what a compromised account could do.
Best for: SaaS platforms, internal portals, and any application with authenticated functionality.
White Box
Full access including source code, architecture documentation, and configuration files. The tester can trace vulnerabilities from input to execution, identify insecure code patterns, and find flaws buried deep in the codebase.
Includes: Source Code Review (SCR) — the white box variant of this assessment, where our consultants analyse source code alongside live testing for maximum coverage.
Methodology
Four phases. Every engagement.
Reconnaissance
Asset discovery, subdomain enumeration, technology stack identification, content discovery, and mapping the full attack surface. We build a complete picture of the application before launching a single payload.
Identification
Manual vulnerability discovery across all in-scope components. Parameter analysis, authentication testing, session evaluation, input validation probing, and business logic examination. Tools assist; humans decide.
Exploitation
Safe, controlled exploitation of confirmed vulnerabilities. We demonstrate real impact — data exfiltration, account takeover, privilege escalation — and chain findings to show how far an attacker could go.
Reporting
Detailed findings with step-by-step reproduction, risk ratings aligned to CVSS, business impact analysis, and prioritised remediation guidance. Executive summary for stakeholders, technical detail for developers.
Our Technical Expertise
The frameworks and standards we test against.
OWASP Top 10
The industry-standard awareness document for web application security. Every engagement tests for every category — injection, broken auth, sensitive data exposure, XXE, broken access control, security misconfigurations, XSS, insecure deserialization, vulnerable components, and insufficient logging.
Threat Intelligence-Driven Testing
We integrate current threat intelligence into every engagement. Real attacker TTPs, active exploit chains, and industry-specific threat profiles ensure testing goes beyond generic checklists.
Source Code Review
When source code is available, our consultants combine static analysis tooling with manual code inspection. We trace data flows from untrusted input through the application, finding vulnerabilities that are invisible from a black box perspective.
Real-World Attack Simulation
We don't just check boxes against a framework. We chain vulnerabilities, abuse functionality, and think like an attacker with a specific objective. The difference between "a vulnerability exists" and "here's how someone breaks in."
Request a Web Application Pentest
Tell us about your application. We'll scope the engagement and send a quote within 48 hours.